Sunday, April 28, 2013

Strawberry Muffins

Nothing says spring like strawberries. Nothing says perfect-ending-to-a-stressful-week-slash-sad-night-after-watching-the-dead-poets-society-which-is-not-a-comedy like muffins. I also really enjoy finding ways to use up ingredients that are on their last legs (or about to grow legs). We had these very sad, sad strawberries that were not going to be eaten, so I turned them into muffins.

Recipe adapted from Feisty, Frugal & Fabulous


Ingredients
  • ½ c unsalted butter, softened
  • ¾ c sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2 c flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ c milk
  • ½ tsp vanilla
  • 1½ c chopped strawberries
  • 3 Tbsp sugar
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl.
  3. Add egg and mix well.
  4. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.
  5. Next, alternately add the flour mixture and milk to butter mixture in the large bowl.
  6. Add vanilla, then gently fold in the strawberries
  7. Spoon batter into muffin pans (this makes approximately dozen muffins).
  8. Combine sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over muffins. You will have a lot of sugar, but this allows you to be as generous as you like.
  9. Bake at 400ยบ for 20 minutes.

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Cupcake Puppy Chow

I'm a puppy chow addict. I never make it anymore because I could sit down and eat the entire thing in about an hour. (For those of you who are unfortunately living under a rock, puppy chow or muddie buddies is a chocolate peanut butter chex snack that is highly addictive). For my college roommate's birthday this year, I tried a cupcake puppy chow recipe - which tasted surprisingly like cupcakes!

Recipe adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction

Ingredients
12 oz white chocolate
6 T butter
3 T milk
5-6 cups rice Chex cereal*
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
SPRINKLES

Directions
  1. Melt butter, white chocolate and milk in a saucepan over medium low heat.
  2. Remove from heat and stir in milk, vanilla and almond extract (use almond extract sparingly and vanilla generously).
  3. Pour white chocolate cereal over Chex cereal and mix.
  4. Pour coated Chex into bag and add 1 1/2c. powdered sugar. Shake until Chex is covered. Add sprinkles.
*next time I'm going to try to corn Chex - as the rice Chex got a little soggy

Saturday, April 13, 2013

French Onion Soup Stuffed Mushrooms

I really like the idea of like mushrooms. They're kind of like tomatoes. I know they're good for me and I really really want to like them. So, I'm sneaking them into things and hoping that I either won't notice or will eventually start to like them. It's been working, so I've started to get a little more adventurous. French onion soup is one of my absolutely favorite things at absolutely any time of year. On debatably more than one occasion, I turned the air conditioning all the way up (or down? I'm not sure how that works - basically I made it cold), so that it would be soup weather inside even if it wasn't outside. When I saw these french onion soup stuffed mushrooms come across my Pinterest page I knew I had to try them at some point. They fit right into the menu for my winter board game night. Now, it's beginning to seem a little silly that I'm posting about a winter board game night in spring. Oh well.

Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:
2 T Butter
2 whole Large Onions, Halved And Sliced Thin
1/4 c Beef Broth
7 dashes Worcestershire Sauce
Splash Of Red Or White Wine
1/2 c Grated Gruyere Cheese (can Use Swiss)
Kosher Salt
24 whole White Or Crimini Mushrooms, Washed And Stems Removed
Minced Parsley

Directions:
  1. In a medium skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add onions and saute for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until very soft. Splash in wine, broth, and Worcestershire. Cook for another 5 minutes, or until liquid is cooked down. Set aside.
  2. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Throw in mushrooms and toss around for 2 minutes, just to start the cooking process. Sprinkle mushrooms with salt.
  3. Place mushroom caps face down in a baking dish. Heap cavity with sauteed mushrooms, then sprinkle Gruyere over the top. (I forgot to grate the Gruyere, so I just shaved pieces off using a vegetable peeler and quite liked the look). Bake at 10 minutes on 325 degrees. Turn on broiler and broil for a couple of minutes, until the top of the Gruyere starts to bubble and slightly turn brown.
  4. Sprinkle minced parsley over the top and serve.

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Spanish Paprika Wings

Another appetizer from a winter game night. These have a very subtle heat with a crispy, flaky outside, so they're good for a large crowd. I'm kind of a wings fanatic. I might beef up the spices for a little bit more flavor next time, but they were cooked to perfection.
Recipe adapted from The Nest

Ingredients:
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. granulated (or powdered) garlic
1 tsp. paprika, preferably Spanish smoked paprika
1 tsp. salt
2 lb. chicken-wing pieces
2 Tbl. olive oil

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
2. Mix together the cumin, garlic, paprika, and salt in a small bowl. Rinse the chicken pieces and pat dry. Rub the spice mixture all over the chicken. Pour the olive oil onto a large baking sheet and spread it around. Roll the chicken pieces in the oil until lightly coated on all sides, then arrange them neatly in a single layer without touching.
3. Bake for 20 minutes. Flip the pieces over and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes. They should be slightly crisp and golden on the outside. Serve hot or at room temperature